The Mormon Handcarts

The following includes a few of my favorite things: handcarts, Old Briggy, English, and oldness.

“He thus describes the new propelling power which “the Lord revealed unto the Later-Day Saints by the Prophet Brigham” last year, whereby a saint can become a “perfect boss” on the Plains—A handcart train!

“It was certainly the most novel and interesting sight I have seen for many a day . We met too trains—one of them thirty and the other fifty farts—averaging about six to the cart. The carts were generally drawn by one man and three women each, though some carts were drawn by women alone. There were about three women to one man, and two-thirds of the women single. It was the most motley crew I ever beheld. Most of them were Danes, with a sprinkling of Welsh, Swedes and English, and were generally from the lower classes of their countries; scarcely one could speak English plain; most could not understand what we said to them.”

Why more women? The author and audience assume polygamy. But I think its because all the men died (probably not true). Or because the women were righteous and heeded the call to gather (probably true :-).